IOWA QRP JOURNALNEWSLETTER OF THE IOWA QRP CLUB

Welcome to the Summer 1999 issueof the Iowa QRP Journal. Withthe solar conditions improving,propagation has also improvedwith the higher bands once againshowing welcome life. This pastweek 20 meters has been openworldwide yielding contacts withan RV1, F5, OK, HA, HB, FM, S53,and NP3. Other countries heardwere G3, Z31, 9J, LZ, I3, ZL,ON, OZ, OH, T77, LA, and PY. Iattacked some pileups butavoided others depending on thesize and competition. All thison a wire vertical slopingtowards the Caribbean. QRP istruly amazing and I encourageyou to try and snag some DX on30 meters and up.

My NC20 is finished and givingme many hours of entertainment.For those of you who have builtthe kit, one of the regulatorsin the kit may need to bereplaced to correct possibleproblems. If you have thefollowing markings on U2 78L08A836 JRC then you may need toreplace it. The receiver isawesome and very sensitive butthe AGC still needs a littlework. I’ve put in the AGC modbut still get blown out of mysocks by some stations.

Other projects I’m working onare the VE3DNL marker generator(a version of this versatile kitis available for the ArkansasQRP Club), tick keyer, REGENreceiver, and a little item Ihope to write about in the nextissue. For those of you who aregunshy about building take theplunge! There is nothing moresatisfying than using oroperating equipment that youhave assembled.

The Sioux City Hamboree in Junewas fantastic! All the gang inthe northwest corner of thestate deserves a pat on the backfor putting together such anoutstanding event. If youmissed it this year start makingplans for the next because it isan FB event. The Iowa QRP Clubhad display tables (one withmember goodies and the otherwith QRP literature/vendorinformation). Paid attendancewas over 600 on the final dayand I think Mike N0MF, JerryWB0T, Larry WB0RMT, Ade W0RSP,Paul KB0JIT, and I spoke toalmost every one of them. Theenthusiasm and interest for ourlittle niche is there.

This summer has especially beenbusy and as a result novolunteers could host the Julymeeting. If you would like tohost a meeting sometime pleasecontact me. All you need do issecure a location to gather andwe will do the rest. This yearwe have held meetings inUrbandale, Sioux City, and IowaCity. Spreading them aroundgives everyone a chance toattend at least one meetingoutside of the hamfestactivities. Because of aconflict I will not be able toattend the Amana hamfest andcoordinate display tables. Ifyou would like to put together atable please contact me. I canget you some goodies to displayand literature to distribute.

Many of you operated duringfield day or in some of the QRPrelated ‘outdoor’ events. Pleasejot down your experiences toshare with the others in thisnewsletter. If you attended anyof the major QRP events (i.e.

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Dayton, Hamcomm, Pacificon,Atlanticon, etc.) then write itdown and get it to me. Theothers love to hear about theevents and you may spur someoneelse to make travel plans.Building a new kit? Pleaseshare your experiences with usor review the kit.

I hope your summer is a safe andenjoyable one. Take advantageof short skip opportunities (andthere have been plenty on 10meters) to work on WAS. Thefall should bring a harvest ofgood propagation and much fun.Whether your forte is buildingor operating (or both), takeadvantage of your opportunitiesand enjoy our wonderful hobby.

72, de John NU0Vburnley-ia@worldnet.att.net

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Member Profile: N0HBBy Duane Lewis N0HB

When John asked me to do thisprofile, I thought he could havepicked anyone else and ended upwith someone more interesting,since I am a rookie to thegroup, but I guess this willprove there is no specific orderto whose turn it is in thebarrel.

I am very recently retired fromLucent Technologies/AT&T/NWBellafter over 29 years there. Iworked on large PBX systems,mostly in software at themachine level. My wife and Iended up here outside of St.Marys, IA, with most of our fivekids still in Denver. I am 51years old.

I learned the code while I was aBoy Scout. Many years later(1972), I was called to repair atelephone at the home of WB0GQX.He told me about ham radio, andI went back to his house after I

got off work that day. He gaveme the 5 WPM code test and Ipassed it. He sent off for thewritten test and I was on myway. My call was WN0HBN, thenWB0HBN, then KB0HB, then N0HB.

I moved around with thetelephone company quite a bit,which allowed me to operate fromIowa, North Dakota, Illinois,and Colorado. I got my firsttaste of QRP after getting anArgonaut when they first cameout. I used to check into theIowa Net with 5 watts from themobile with a Hustler whip.Later I got interested in weaksignal VHF and worked 42 statesfrom Fargo, ND, on 2 meters. Inever missed a meteor shower fora few years there.

For many years now I've beenkeeping a schedule with an oldfriend, K0DT. We've talked onSaturday mornings for the last22 years. For about the last 20years, that schedule has beenabout the extent of my hamming.Recently, I got on the internetlooking for homebrew informationand ran into a lot of QRPinformation. I ordered an SSTfor 30 meters, and picked up anNC20. They both work great;it's amazing how well these newkits are designed, how well theywork, and how full-featured theyare. I think the next rig willbe the NorCal 40A. I'd like toget to a separate QRP rig foreach band.

I'm getting ready to put LINUXon my PC, and start designingsome PICs. I'm surely enjoyingQRP and building again. I lookforward to hearing about therest of you guys when it's yourturn in the barrel.

72, de Duane N0HBdlsharon@netins.net

Summer 19993

Royal RegensBy Mike Fitzgibbon N0MF

Upon arrival, last (1998)winter's Nov/Dec issue of "QEX",the experimenter's journalpublished by the ARRL, held aconstruction article whichimmediately caught my interest.Written by Charles Kitchin, thearticle contained the plans tobuild not one, but tworegenerative receivers. Titled"High Performance RegenerativeReceiver Design" and running alength of twelve pages, thearticle covered a lot of ground,including the basics ofregeneration, plans for tworeceivers, a little history, andgeneral building tips. Theauthor, "Chuck" Kitchin, N1TEV,is a radio experimenter andlong-time SWL'er, and has spenta considerable amount of timestudying, building and promotingthese intriguing circuits, somuch so that he has widelybecome known (and deservedly so)as the "Regen King".

After a quick read, my littlemind started to reflect upon thecontents of my rather voluminous"junk box", because that isexactly the title of the firstschematic in Chuck's article,"Junk Box Special"...and hey, IHAD ALL THE PARTS!

BTW, before I go any further, acopy of this article isavailable to ARRL members forthree bucks, and if you aren't amember you only need add acouple more bucks and up the

ante to a mere five (see belowfor address).

Now, I'm not going to go into alot of detail about buildingeither of these rigs, that's inthe plans, but I will tell youthis...if you have neverexperienced a good regen design,you may be in for a shock. Icertainly was (quite shocked).There's not a lot "to them",certainly not in contrast totoday's multi-IF, IC-laden SMD-riddled SW receivers, but thereis a reason that the very firsttrans-Atlantic voicecommunications were accomplishedusing regenerativereceivers...they performamazingly well for theastoundingly few componentswhich they contain. In short, Ibuilt the Junk Box Special, andthen I was hooked.

As an aside here, if you want aninteresting qrp-related read, Iwill suggest you get a copy ofAde Weiss's "A History of QRP inthe US, 1924-1960" (see belowfor source). Any qrper worthhis 2N2222s knows of Ade Weiss,W0RSP, a true cult hero in thelow-power world, and thistreatise on early amateurcommunication is full ofreferences to Major Armstrong'sregenerative receiver. In fact,in the 20s and 30s it was themainstay of most ham shacks.Many an old-timer cut his teethon a "genny". At a recenthamfest ( Sioux City, IA) one ofmy regens caught the attentionof several of these "moreexperienced" hams. The reactionwas classic...wide eyes, fixedstare, a slight smile, oftenopening to a wide grin, and thenthe opening line "is THAT aregen?...I had one of those whenI first started out..."followed by the details, whichwere usually the beginning to avery interesting story or maybeeven two...

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Now, if you've gotten this far,I must warn you...regens ARE NOTfor appliance operators. Ifyour thing is to sit down, turnit on and let the microprocessordo the walking, this may not befor you. Regens take a littlebit of...well, experience, tooperate. It's kinda likesailing a boat or flying aplane...you need to makeoccasional adjustments to thetrim to keep it sailing/flyingon the level. No, its notdifficult, but it does take alittle bit of experience tolearn where and when to do thetwiddling...something that iseasily learned once you have amachine to twiddle...hey, it'sjust plain FUN!

How well do they really work?Here I will first defer to themaster, Mr. Kitchin. Early inthe into to his "QEX" articleChuck compares a well-designedregen to a direct-conversion ANDa superhet, and simply statesthat it can perform just aswell... And what did I find?Well, the Junk Box Special Ifirst built (also see modsbelow) entirely from a fewordinary parts pulls inliterally dozens upon dozens ofSW signals from all over theglobe. It easily drives aspeaker on moderately-strongsignals, and makes a very finegeneral-listening SW receiver.

Figure 2. Interior view of thejunkbox special REGEN.

It tunes from 3 to over 12 MHz,covering several heavily-used SWbands. Because of the absenceof an IF and its associatedfilters, the sound produced oncea signal is properly tuned-in,is clear, clean, and rich infidelity. In fact, it sounds aheck of a lot better than amoderately-priced SW receiver Ihave, and I much prefer tolisten to one of my "gennys"over the commercial SW receiver.If you happen to have a pair ofhigh quality headphones...usethem! You will be richlyrewarded.

After the Junk Box was built, Iknew that the second, slightlymore complex regen was my nextproject. It employs a low-noiseop-amp and plug-in coils, but isotherwise fairly similar to theJunk Box Special. Itsperformance is absolutelybreathtaking... I wound fourcoils for it, covering from nearthe bottom of the BC band (600KHz) to over 18 MHz, withconsiderable overlap of allranges. Regens, by the way, notonly make good AM receivers,they also let you listen in toCW and SSB signals as well whenthe regeneration is adjusted tothe high side of the criticalpoint (oscillation threshold).

It sort of provides it ownnatural BFO, so to speak... SSBsignals on the 75, 40, 20, and17 meter bands are easilycopied, and the differences intransmitter audio charact-eristics because of the greatfidelity. It is a blast tolisten in on the conversationstaking place using a receiver ofvintage design and being able to"critique" the signals! I alsomet a fellow regen enthusiast,Charles Hansen, N0TT, at theSioux City hamfest who had useda regen receiver to work 160 M.WAS QRP not once but twice (ontwo consecutive weekends).

Summer 19995

Regens can be deadly serious,no?

This second regen is also a realDX machine. It uses a very quietAnalog Devices AD745JN op-ampand a J310/2N4416Aoscillator/detector, coupledwith a 2N2907 RF amp on thefront end. This adds up to avery sensitive rig. I added aTen Tec 2-watt audio amp (boardmounted on edge, left side inthe photos) to drive a speaker,but it does not need the TT ampif only headphone operation isdesired. I spent a few bucks onthis one. Reduction drives (seeparts list below) are used onall three caps...and that reallyadds to the "tune-ability" ofthe radio. In fact, the maintuning cap travels so slowlythat the second smaller 8:1drive 20 pF bandspread cap isalmost redundant, although itdoes make tuning even easier.This radio resides on mynightstand and enjoys continual,daily (nightly) use. As can beseen in the photos, it uses two9 volt batteries, but a circuitfor an AC power supply isprovided by Chuck should yourlistening be so inclined.

Figure 3: Interior view of thesuper REGEN.

Now, it is true that there isone small short-coming to theregeneration scheme,occasionally encountered whentuning around in a very crowedportion of a SW band. But, itis a problem that seldom raisesit's head, and one that mustsimply be put up with, i.e.,regens tend to "pull-in" to avery strong signal if you try totune to a very close, adjacentbut weaker signal. That is, thetuning point tends to“gravitate" to the strongersignal. By close I mean within10 or maybe 15 KHz. It dependsa bit, of course, upon theparticular circuit which isemployed, but it is an inherentliability (albeit slight) of thedesign...but, DO NOT let thissway you from building... Sofar as I have found this oflittle practical consequence agreat majority of the time.

Take a look at the accompanyingphotos. As Chuck sez in hisbuilding tips, use a metal frontpanel to eliminate hand-capacitance effects and keepyour coil away from metal parts.

The Junk Box Special usesextremely common parts,including a 2N2222 RFamp, MPF102 detector, aLM386 audio amp, and a35 mm plastic filmcan/pill bottle for acoil form. Thecapacitors can often befound in the junk box,and if not, areavailable surplus fromDan's Small Parts (whereI got mine-see below).

There is onemodification (andsimplification) to theJunk Box Special, which

was provided to me by Mr.Kitchin himself: change the 5volt Zener diode in the circuitto a 6.8 volt unit, and

Summer 19996

substitute the choke made from atransformer primary to anordinary 5.6 K ohm resistor (anywattage will do...). This modwill increase the performanceeven a little bit more. BTW,Chuck is a very helpful,friendly guy, and he seems tohave a soft spot in his heartfor regen tinkerers. His E-mailaddress is listed in the articleshould you have a question ordiscovery...

Regeneration is a technologythat has been long with us.Although of late it has beenlargely neglected, it offerssurprising performance whenemployed in a quality circuitutilizing modern solid-statecomponents. Give yourself atreat and build one of thesesimple yet exciting rigs, andexperience a true blast from thepast.

Resources / Parts List

ARRL, 225 Main St., Newington,CT 06111-1494; ph. (860) 594-0200 E-mail: hq@arrl.org

"History of QRP in the US, 1924-1960" by Adrian Weiss, W0RSPavailable by priority mail for$15 from: Adrian Weiss, 526 N.Dakota St., Vermillion, SD 57069

Air vari-caps are available fromDan's. The ones used in theseregens are listed as 5-sectioncaps at a cost of $7.00 each.They have three 35 pF sections,one 100, and one 90 pF section.You can use many junk-box typecaps, these from Dan's aresmooth operating andrelatively small. They are alsoquite versatile in that theirfive different sections can beparalleled together as needed.Dan's Small Parts and Kits,Box 3634, Missoula MT 59806-3634

http://www.fix.net/~jparker/dans.html

72, de Mike N0MFmjfitz@uswest.net

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Tall tower, small power........By Jon Book KB0EDE

It is not often one gets achance to go QRP, ....likehaving a 1283 foot towernormally used for Broadcastuse,but for QRP use. Thatbeing the case, ham radio andbroadcasting often go hand inhand when you have a scheduleddown time for towerrepairs....that is if you workand play at the same place.There is always at least one hamin every broadcaststation...hard to believe isn'tit?

In August of 1998, I received acall that a tower crew was to beat the TALL Tower (a facilitywhich houses 3 FM; 2 TV;trunking radio systems, etc,)for a multible evening oftransmission line repairs forthe TV stations. WhatJOY......here I thought that Iwould be placing my 100KW ERP FMStation on exciter peanut powerof just 20 watts and wait about5 hours during the overnightsand just sit around and donothing! How boring! When onesits at a site and waits for thetower crew to perform repairs,it seems like forever, not tomention hungry. Sorry, novendo-land at the transmittersites, just bad water in thedrinking fountain.

I decided a few days before theproject to begin at the towersite, that I might make this aMost interesting scenario of QRPDX and see what happens.

My equipment taken along with methat week was: a MFJ-9040 cwtransceiver; a MFJ-971 tuner; a

Summer 19997

MFJ CWF-2 filter; a MFJ paddle,gel-cel battery and some spares;A radio shack DSP unit;headsets, adaptors; cables;antenna coax cables, etc. Youname it, I probably brought italong those nights with meincluding the usual tool kit.Several engineers at the siteremarked that it looked like Iwas moving in for a long stayBut one needs to experiment onthe needs of qrpsupplies......maybe less isbetter, at least.

That is what I hear for qrp nowthen, isn't it? I will have toconvince my car trunk about thisthe next time I go play hamradio with QRP cases,etc.

Upon the day before thescheduled tower maintenancenight, I strung a 150' long wireout the building front door fromthe microwave towerto a small tree located near thesite and connected the groundsystem to the tall tower.Since the broadcast stationswill be either OFF the AIR or atextreme low power, this mightprove to be quite interestingfor a good QRP night! I hadhoped that MURPHY didn't show upthis night as he usually doesduring fun projects....just myluck, MURPHY took the week off!

The following night, I appearedat 11 PM at the transmitter sitein order to get things readyFor the tower crew. As thingswent by, I started to get theQRP station up and running at1am and sent a CQ/QRP at 2am.To my surprise, I was able toget 599+ signals from Florida;North and South Carolina; NewJersey; New York; Vermont; andeven CUBA. How quaint! Itseemed that 7.010 was pretty hotthat night, but I did tune up to7.060 locations looking forother qrp operators. By the

way, there were plenty of diehards on the air....oldsters!I had thought that only youngpeople stayed up late at nightor just operators who love towatch the infomercials on tv,but this was a dedicated groupof qrp operators ..yessiree bob.

For once, I felt like I was theDX Station and at the other endof the receiving locations, werethe mosquitos! Speaking ofmosquitos, the facility hadplenty of them....thirsty onestoo! That being a problem, Iforgot to bring the bug spray tokeep those nasty critters fromputting the bite on me the firstnight, but the following nights,the spray and qrp was a winingcombination. By 5am each day, Ihad to quickly take the gearapart and pack it for storagefor another night of fabulousdx'ing.. I am not sure whichwas longer, settting it up ortaking it down for storage butit was fun and and it wasexciting.

Since I also do engineering fora 3 tower directional AM Stationarray (3 towers located nextDoor to the TV Tall Tower) I amwondering how this would workfor QRP? Of course, it's tunedfor 1420 Khz, but it would beexhilarating to see just whatresults could be made with 5watts of cw to a large hunk ofpipe up 625 feet with a tvbatwing antenna atop the tower.

But then again, putting areceiver on that largedirectional array, I wonder justhow many 1420 stations I couldpick up? This is my nextproject.......qrp on adirectional array or just short-wave listening.,.it is apuzzlement.

72, de Jon KB0EDEbroadcast@juno.com

Summer 19998

An Accurate Voltage ReferenceBy Adam Kanis AK0P

In this small piece I willpresent a very simple circuitfor building a decently accuratevoltage reference. I didn't evendevelop the circuit, it ispretty much straight of theNational Semiconductor datasheets.

Most of us have DMMs that arereasonable but not perfect.Typically accuracy might be 0.5%at full scale. Other DMMs aremore accurate, some lessaccurate But what do you do ifyou want to check on your DMM tosee if it is someplace close toits stated accuracy? How close?

This becomes especially truewhen you check a voltagemeasurement with 2 meters, andget 2 different answers. As thesaying goes, a man (or woman)with 2 watches never knows whattime it is.

What you want is a known voltageto present to the meter, and seeif it reads it correctly. Theproblem is, most people don'thave a NIST laboratory gradevoltage standard, I know I

certainly don't. Here is acircuit that you can build togive you a reasonable qualityvoltage standard. The specs forthe devices used claim 0.1%accuracy - but I have no way athome to verify that. Even if itwere 2x worse than claimed, itwould still be a respectable0.2% - not bad! By the way, youcan save about a dollar bypurchasing 0.2% or 0.5% devices,but I would recommend againstthat - build the darn thingonce, and build it the best youcan. The $2-4 in overall costsaved will come back to hauntyou when you realize that errorsare cumulative - if the standardand the meter are both off by0.5%, in the appropriatedirections, you total error canbe up to 1%, and still be inspec. And sometime in the futureyou MAY have the need for anaccurate voltage determination.

Parts List:U1 - Nation SemiconductorLM4040AIZ-2.5 (available fromDigiKey $3.47)U2 - National SemiconductorLM4040AIZ-10.0 (available fromDigiKey $3.47)R1 - 3.3k ( 1/4 wattR2 - 2.2k( 1/4 watt

Summer 19999

The circuit above is how Icurrently have mine built. Iplan on adding the 4.096 Vand/or the 5.00 V devices in thefuture (the 4.096 V unit is madefor giving a "full scale"voltage to a 12 bit A/Dconverter). The resistor valuesare not sacred, if you wish youcan use the same value for eachresistor. The values here give acurrent load of about 1 mA perdevice [(Vin-Vout)/R]. Thedevices can handle a maximum of15 mA, and there is a minimumcurrent required, but I don'trecall it off-hand.

I didn't install a switch or anyshort-circuit protection, thoughI probably will do both, sinceit is possible to short betweenground and the supply rail witha meter probe on my version. Ifyou don't wish to have the 10volt device working, you can usea 9 volt battery supply. I builtmine using a Radio Shackexperimenter board. I'm sure itcan be built using "ugly", PCboard, or even wire-wrapconstruction. The enclosure andconnectors for power-in andvoltage-out are up to thebuilder. I used a coaxial powerconnector for the power-in, anda screw-posts for the outputs.Two loops of cut-off leads serveas the ground contact points forthe voltmeter probe.

Using the unit I built, I haveconfirmed that all my DMMs areperforming better than spec onthe voltage ranges covered bythis voltage reference. I haveused it to calibrate aninexpensive digital panel meterI am using with my solar energysetup.

Where to go from here. If onecould match resistors to areasonable accuracy, it shouldbe possible to make a precisionvoltage divider to give outputssay of 0.100, 0.250, and 1.00 V.

That will be the next add-on forthis. Let me know if any of youhave success with this.

72, de Adam AK0Padam-kanis@uiowa.edu

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Summer QRP AdventureBy Daniel Case KB0JUL

In a previous issue of the IowaQRP Journal, I wrote about someof my experiences operating QRPfrom college at Iowa StateUniversity. My setup has beenquite effective, and I havemanaged to work a number ofstates and even some DX ontwenty meters, with an indoordipole that runs around theroom near the ceiling.

This summer, I am an intern witha seed company in Hampton, Iowa.Hampton is several miles fromAmes or my hometown of Beaman,so it was necessary to secure anapartment for the summer inHampton prior to starting work.Of course, as an amateur radiooperator, I was looking for aplace to stay that, in some way,would enable me to remain on theair throughout the summer.Unfortunately, the apartmentsearch yielded a slim pickingand I ended up in an eighty+year old, brick and steelapartment building in downtownHampton. With no apparentworkable place for an outdoorantenna, it was quickly apparent

Summer 199910

that I would have to be creativewith my operations.

Since I have enjoyed greatresults with the indoor antennasetup in Ames, I decided to trythis approach first. Iconstructed a twenty meterdipole out of small gauge RadioShack wire. Instead of using 50ohm coax, I used TV twinlead asa feedline. I have never usedthis approach before, but Iwanted to give it a try.Unfortunately, this antennawould not load up very well atall. I gave up on this, andborrowed the antenna that I usein Ames. This antenna wasstrung around the apartment,much in the same manner as itwas in Ames. To my delight, itdid load up well with theArgonaut 509 and put out a solid2 watts.

I tuned around the band andheard a lot of strong signals.I answered many strong stationscalling CQ. Unfortunately, noone would answer me! All of thesettings were correct on theradio, the SWR was in check, andthe radio was pushing at least 2watts according to thewattmeter, but I wasunsuccessful at ever gettinganother station to answer me. Iwas quite discouraged that thissetup would not work in theapartment. I concluded that mysignal was just not radiatingout very well through the brickand steel construction of thebuilding. Being surrounded bybrick, cement, and other metalsis not the most ideal QTH forQRP, or any mode for that matter(VHF/UHF is quite dead up heretoo!)

It was back to the drawingboard, so that is when I decidedto go "to the field." BeedsLake State Park is located acouple of miles northwest of

Hampton, and I located an idealoperating area on the north sideof the lake. There is greataccess to this area, not muchtraffic, several tall trees, anda great view overlooking thelake. I constructed a 40 and 80meter dipole, and took theequipment out to the park.

Recently, I read some postingson QRP-L about using 16ozplastic water bottles to launchantenna wires or supports intotrees. I found that this worksquite well. The filled waterbottle has more than enoughweight and momentum to carry thenylon rope that I used as asupport for the antenna. Aftera few throws, I had the rope onthe right branch, andsuccessfully hoisted the 40meter dipole up in the trees.

This setup performed quite well.The dipole needs some finetuning, but it did load up and Iwas able to work a few stationson forty meters. I also managedto check into the 3905 SSBCentury Club Net. Not manystations check into the netoperating 5 watts QRP portable.It was fun to actually be on theair, even with all of thestrange looks I received aspeople drove by wondering whatin the world I was doing.

It takes time to set up all ofthe equipment in the park, andof course, the weather doesn'talways cooperate. I stillwanted to set up a stationin the apartment. One evening,I was reading Richard Arland's(K7SZ) new book, "ARRL's LowPower Communication: The Art andScience of QRP." I came acrossthe chapter on antennas, and inthat chapter Richard talks aboutsome of the antennas thatQRP'ers can utilize. That'swhen it dawned on me to try anend fed antenna, hanging out thewindow of my apartment! I cut a

Summer 199911

1/2 wavelength wire for 20meters, and suspended it out ofmy window down to the ground inthe alley below. This wasconnected to the tuner, with acounterpoise wire attached tothe ground and run around theroom. I was skeptical that thisantenna would work. Upon firingup the rig, I was amazed that Iwas hearing so many strongsignals! I tuned around andheard KQ2U calling CQ. Ianswered him, and to myamazement, he came back to me!Unfortunately, the QRM waspretty bad that evening on 20 soI lost him. I tuned around somemore, and came across anotherstation putting out a CQ. Ianswered him, and managed tohave an enjoyable ragchew. Theend fed wire really works! Ilook forward to working manymore stations with this setup.

I have discovered that no matterwhat the situation, there is away to make QRP operationpossible. It just takes alittle perseverance,experimenting, and somepatience. The thrill of workingstations across the country andaround the world with a coupleof watts and a simple antenna ismore than worth the effort!

72, de Dan KB0JULdrcase@iastate.edu

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Sioux City Hambree is a hit!By John Burnley NU0V

(Editor’s note: the followingwas posted to IAQRP-L and isreprinted with permission)

The hamfest held in the SiouxCity area this past weekend wasa total blast! It was a greatevent and I look forward to itnext year.

The Iowa QRP Club had twodisplay tables and it was filledwith QRP goodies. Mike KI0AFbrought boxes of projects and itwas showcase material. I'mdoing this from memory so I knowI'll forget some items. Mikebrought his punch pad SSTs (madefrom using a sheet metal punchto make the small pads which arethen glued to a printed circuitboard; components are thensoldered to the pads) for 40,15, and 10 (yes he really doeshave one). His just completed2N2/40 rig (of NorCal fame) wasreally impressive. The designer(Jim Kortge) did a fabulous joband Mike really did an FB job inbuilding it! He also broughttwo of his regen receiverprojects (works of art), OHR WM-2, OHR DDS-1, OHR 100A, LGD QRPautotuner, and a set of NorCalpaddles. I know I've leftsomething out and I apologize toMike in advance.

Larry (WB0RMT) brought hishomebuilt complete stationconsisting of a Dan's NWxx rig,Dan's tuner (parts kit), powersupply, and NorCal paddles.It's an impressive station setupwith all three projects inmatching cases. Larry (likeMike) is an expert builder andreally dazzles me each timeI see one of his creations. Healso brought his NC20 with mods(of course.....those of you whoknow Larry understand hi..remindme some day to tell you aboutthe HW-8), a keyer (altoidstin), and his modified Pixie II.

Ade Weiss (W0RSP) brought his'pride and joy' SST, an receiverkit and homebrew transmitterboth mounted in the same altoidstin. He also brought a HW-8that drew a lot of attentionfrom all those who have builtHeathkit projects. Ade was alsoa tremendous help at the displaytable answering questions andpromoting the good word. He

Summer 199912

really knows how to sniff outthe bargains at the flea marketas well. Ade also did QRPpresentations on Friday andSaturday. He did a great job(as usual).

Paul Sipes KB0JIT brought a 40meter transceiver, Heath tuner,power supply, and two slinkyantennas. He had these items ondisplay up in the QRP room (wehad the room all day for QRP!)where the presentations wereheld (and yes the slinkyantennas were up stretchedacross the room). Paul alsopresented a kit building forumand did an FB job! Paul isanother expert at building andjudges our annual buildingcontest.

Jerry Huldeen (WB0T) brought hiscomplete MFJ 9040 station (onethat he used to win the QRPsection for Iowa in one of themajor contests...I'm sorry Ican't remember which one).Jerry also split a presentationwith me and he covered readingpropagation charts. You did agreat job Jerry!

Jim (KC0???....I reallyapologize for not writing yourcall down) brought a miniaturehomebrew set of paddles andsingle lever paddle (futurenewsletter articles). Those werea real treat and got a lot ofcompliments. Wait till you seethese. Talk about portability!

I brought an NC20, 38 Special,MFJ 9017, KnightSmite, Pixie II,and a TenTec 6 meter receivingconverter. I split apresentation with Jerry as well.It was my first and I must say Iadmire all you who get up infront of others and promote QRP.I was nervous and made plenty ofmistakes (but hopefully coveredwell hi).

The Iowa QRP club sponsored abuilding event on Friday night.Several members got together andbuilt the FB40 kit from theNJQRP Club. It was great funbut I've been sworn to secrecyabout any of the details. Thefollowing hams participated:Shirley W0OOZ, Jerry WB0T,Mike KI0AF, Jeff AA0PN, LarryWB0RMT and son Alex KC0EBK,Paul KB0JIT, and John NU0V. AllI can say is that the hotel willallow us to return. Thanksagain to the NJ group and GeorgeHeron for helping us with thekits.

On Saturday IAQRP had a QRPluncheon for everyoneinterested. During the lunchJerry (WB0T) and John (NU0V)were given certificates ofappreciation from the club.Jerry does a lot of work (behindthe scenes) for the club andreally is busy helping the clubto prepare for the Sioux Cityhamfest. I would like to thankall those involved for thecertificate. It was a greathonor. The lunch was fun with alot of good QRP fellowship!

I would also like to thank thefollowing people / organizationsfor donating items for IAQRP togive away in Sioux City. Garyand Brad from Embedded Researchprovided a Tick 4 EMB kit; PaulWasha donated a copy of RichArland's new book 'Low PowerCommunications; Mike KI0AFprovided a Tick EMB kit, and MFJhelped us out with someanniversary mugs. All went togood homes and again my thanks.

Also thanks to Larry (WB0RMT),Mike (KI0AF), Jerry (WB0T), Paul(KB0JIT), Ade (W0RSP), Jim(sorry but I did not write yourcall down), and I know I've leftsomeone out (apologies inadvance) for helping out at thedisplay table. It was a lot offun and all of you made it a

Summer 199913

success! Also cudo's to thevendors who supplied info ontheir products: Small WonderLabs, Embedded Research, TenTec,MFJ, OHR, Hands Electronics, andKanga US. If I've left anyoneout my apologies.

Finally I want to again thankAde (W0RSP). At the end of hispresentation on Saturday (infront of a packed room) he paidme quite a few compliments. Iwas and still am totally stunnedby the recognition. He thenpresented me with a gift which Iwill treasure forever. He gaveme a first edition copy of hisbook 'Joy Of QRP' and anoriginal copy of his CQ articlewhich started it all. Both areautographed andinscribed with a message to me.I cannot thank you enough foryour gift and I can't tell youhow much they mean to me. Youare a true friend and agentleman and again I thank you.

Sorry for all the bandwidth butwith all the fun over theweekend I'm really energized andexcited about our special nichecalled QRP!

72, John NU0Vburnley-ia@worldnet.att.net

********************************

Adding Receiver IncrementalTuning (RIT) to the SW40+ QRP

Transceiverby Jim Larsen AL7FS

(The following article wascopied from the author’s website and is reprinted here bypermission. Visit Jim’s homepage for a wealth of QRPinformation at:http://www.qsl.net/AL7FS/ )

Visit the Alaska QRP ClubHomePage at:http://home.gci.net/~bhopkins/akqrp

In an earlier article Idiscussed building an 80, 40 or20 meters superheterodyne(superhet) CW transceiver (2watts). The theory within theradio was covered in an onlinecourse called Elmer 101 and waspublished in QRPp (NorCal QRPClub). This radio is from SmallWonder Labs and is called theSW40+ (mine is for 40 meters).(If you can access thereferenced material at the endof this article, you will find awealth of additional informationincluding the SW40+, schematic,kits, and other items mentionedin this article.)

The RIT Upgrade

I recently decided I needed theReceiver Incremental Tuning(RIT) add-on for the SW40+transceiver that I use forbusiness travel trips. I orderedthe kit and shortly thereafter,I was melting solder andbuilding up the small PC boardRIT. After the modification, Ifound that my frequency rangehad changed from 7.009-7.044down to 7.009 to 7.033. This waswhat was predicted in the RITInstructions.

I began to tack on capacitors tothe bottom of the board tochange the value of C8. Ifollowed the range suggestionsin the Instructions sheet butnothing I did seemed to improvethe tuning range. I finally gaveup on C8 and left it at thestock value even though mytuning range was still reduced.

Again, per the Instructions, Ichanged C7 (68 pf in my case) tomove the range back up the band.I chose to use the next smallestvalue in my parts drawer (56 pf- I did not go all the way downto the 47 pf in the chart in theSW40+ manual) to give me a rangeof 7.0226 to 2.047. (Thank you,NorCal Capacitor Kit.) I also

Summer 199914

tweaked on the spacing on L1 tohelp bring the range closer towhat I needed. I decided thisnew range was ok as I seldom usemy extra class privileges and itgave me a more even spread onthe dial. The RIT works asadvertised and I am sure I willenjoy this when I call CQ andhave to tune around forstations. I have found stationsoff frequency by over 1 kHz fromtime-to-time.

There are no new contacts withthe SW40+/RIT but I expect someon my next business trip to theLower 48. This is primarily mytravel rig. The power output toa slightly mismatched inverted-Vantenna reads 2.8 watts on theOak Hills Research, OHR WM-2wattmeter. I suspect it wouldread closer to 2 watts into a 50ohm load.

For you Spartan Sprint folks,the SW40+ with the RIT nowweighs 11 ounces. I have theSW40+ custom case. Batteries are8 ounces, Micro-Key is 1 ounce,and Kenwood earbuds are only anounce or two. The next additionto the SW40+ will be a built inTick Keyer. With all theseupgrades, I now just need to bein the Lower 48 for a SpartanSprint.

72, de Jim AL7FSAL7FS@QSL.NET

References:

SW40+transceiver:(http://smallwonderlabs.com/swl_swp.htm) •ReceiverIncremental Tuning (RIT) add-on:(http://smallwonderlabs.com/swl_rit.htm) •SW40+Schematic:(http://www.qsl.net/k5fo/schematic.jpg) •NorCalCapacitor Kit andQRPp:(http://www.fix.net/~jparker/norcal.html) •Spartan

Sprint:(http://www.natworld.com/ars/) •TICKKeyers:(http://www.frontiernet.net/~embres/) •Oak HillsResearch:(http://www.ohr.com/)•Elmer Projects for QRP-L:(http://www.qsl.net/k5fo/)

AL7FS was originally licensed asWN0LPK in March 1965 (WA0LPKfrom 1965-1985). Jim is a memberof the Anchorage Amateur RadioClub and the South Central RadioClub. For a while he was aMoonbounce (EME) fanatic andearned 2 meter WAS #36. Eventhen he operated in QRP style,using only about 600 wattsoutput. Jim has participated inHF from 160-10 meters (CW andSSB), packet, satellite, 6meter, UHF, VHF, ATV, DX, andQRP. QRP has lasted the longestand the strongest - 1970 to1999.

********************************

Slinky AntennaBy Paul Sipes KB0JIT

The common metal slinky that is2.75'' in diameter is a goodcandidate for a portableantenna. For 40 meters twoslinkys connected as a dipolewill work very well. Thisantenna will be useful forbackpacking, vacations, fieldday or any time you don't haveaccess to your regular antennas.I use a slinky antenna in motelrooms when I am working out oftown. Stringing the antenna

Summer 199915

from one corner of the room tothe other will give enoughlength to be able to tuneproperly. You can use thecurtain rod as one support andthe doorframe as the othersupport.

Usually in the top of thedoorframe, there is a crackbetween the frame and the wallthat will allow a curtain hook tslip in to use as an anchor.Drapery hooks work well to holdthe slinky. A piece of nylonstring is strong enough to holdthe weight of the slinky. Hookone end of the string to thecurtain rod with a drapery hooktied to the string. This willallow you to quickly and easilyput up and take down theantenna. For the 40 meterantenna it is not necessary tosupport the weight of the centerof the antenna. For the 80meter antenna you should supportthe center.

Figure 1 above. Figure 2 below.

I use a piece of 1/4'' Plexiglas3'' square for the centersupport/connector with fourholes drilled in the plastic sothey are just inside thediameter of the slinky (figure1). Cable ties are used to holdthe slinky to the centersupport. The slinky is alsovery easy to solder so you cansolder the feed line directly toit. I use a piece of RG-58 coaxwith alligator clips soldered toit for the feed connection.These clip directly to theslinky at the center support.You could solder a short pieceof wire to the slinky andconnect the alligator clips toit. If you want to use theantenna for 80 meters, you cansolder two of them together tomake an antenna that is twice aslong. It will also work in asmall space, as the inductanceof the coils will tune to 80meters with a small QRP tuner. Iuse a Heathkit HFT-9 QRP tunerwith a MFJ-816 SWR meter. Ihave always been able to tunethe antenna to a very acceptableSWR. The rig I have is theEMTEC 2020 for 40 meters. Itputs out about 4 watts and worksvery well on the slinky antenna.Figure 2 will show the centersupport and how the antenna isstrung for good support.

72, de Paul KB0JITPasipes@pionet.net

Summer 199916

CW Net Moves!By Jerry Huldeen WB0T

(Editor’s note: the following isa combination of two posts toIAQRP-L and is reprinted withthe author’s permission)

Hi gang! Our morning net is notas successful as we all hadhoped. Partly because of theearly hour for a Saturday, orfamily commitments, and lastSaturday, lots of qrn.

Sooo, the net has moved toWednesdays at 9:00P.M. at 7.125mHz. (or near, depending on BCIor other qrn

Again, 9:00 Central Daylight or0200 UTC Thursday. Most everyonehas 40 meter xcvrs and antennas.If it doesn't work, we can trysomething else.

Anyone wishing to take a turn asNet Control Station, please letme know. I will be happy to actas net manager, working out aschedule for those of youwishing to be NCS. We canprobably work out a regularrotation.

It is good experience and fun.I hope many of you can make it.

72, de Jerry WB0Tjerrydeen@juno.com

********************************

The Care and Feeding of the MFJ-259 SWR Analyzer

By John Burnley NU0V

Photo 1: MFJ-259 SWR Analyzer

One of the most useful pieces oftest equipment that I purchasedover the years is the MFJ-259SWR Analyzer. It can be usedto measure SWR, impedance,capacitor values, inductorvalues, velocity factor, 1/4 and1/2 wavelength feedline lengths,tuning a tuner to propersettings, can be used as afrequency generator, plus manyother functions. The oscillatoris a bit unstable to be used inpeaking a receiver, but it canbe used to make sure thereceiver is working!

I've had my analyzer now for atleast 5 or 6 years. Over thisperiod of time I've noticed thatthe calibration on theresistance meter slowly wentout. The resistance meteritself began sticking whichbecame quite annoying. A quickcall to MFJ to order thereplacement meter was made andin a few days my order arrived.Like most of my projects thereis a certain aging requirementbefore I actually get started.After all as long as Iremembered to flick the meterwith my finger the stickingmeter was no problem. I alsojust had to remember that 30ohms was actually 50 ohms on theresistance meter as well (hi).The final motivation forbeginning this project was theSO239 connector giving up (Iused the analyzer so much thatthe connection was loose and themale PL259's would not makecontact).

At last the time had come to getthe MFJ-259 back into properoperation. I 'dug' out thepackage containing the meter(that had gathered a coupleyears worth of dust) and openedit. Inside I found thereplacement meter andinstructions for calibrating.

Summer 199917

The instructions were from anupgrade kit that MFJ sold toconvert their 249 analyzers(without the resistance meter)to the 259 (which did containthat function).

First you must remove the eightblack screws holding theback/side cover. There are fourscrews on each side and alleight must be removed. Nowremove the back/side cover.Carefully remove the batteryclips from the battery packs.The cover should now be totallyfree. Be sure to save thescrews as they can easily bemisplaced.

Next remove the panel nuts fromthe input and gate switches.Slide the switches through thechassis holes so that they arefree of the chassis. Nextunsolder the wire to the BNCjack. You may leave the jackwhere it is but I recommendremoving it to give yourself alittle extra room when removingthe display assembly. Nowunplug the meter wire harness(located on the side). Nextremove the 'Tune' and'Frequency' knobs with an Allenwrench. Remove the plasticgrommet around the 'Frequency'switch and the four small screwsaround the 'Frequency Counter'display. Now unsolder the SO239connector from the PCB board.This connector is attached bytwo ground lugs soldered to thePCB and the center conductor issoldered directly to the PCB.Carefully unsolder the groundinglugs on both sides of the centerconductor. Then unsolder thecenter conductor. If you arereplacing the SO239 then justclip the center conductor (youcan unsolder the remainder oncethe display board is removed).

Now remove the three interior(silver) screws securing PCB tothe chassis. Carefully slide

the PCB and display out of thechassis. You must remove themain PCB along with the attacheddisplay PCB. Headers are usedto connect the main board to thedisplay board and it isimpossible to reorient themproperly when reassembling (atleast I couldn't). It was mucheasier to remove both andreplace the entire assembly.

Both the 'Resistance' and 'SWR'meters are secured by a metalstrap. First unsolder theconnecting wires from the meterand remove the capacitor fromthe meter leads. Now remove thetwo small screws holding theretaining strap in place.Remove the strap and replace theold meter with the new one. Youmay need to apply a little forcein removing the old meter. Asmall dot of some type of gluewas used to help secure themeter in place. Replace thedefective meter with the newone. Place the metal retainingstrap back into place and securewith the two small screws. Nowsolder the capacitor andconnecting wires back intoplace. Be sure to position thetabs from the meter so that theywill not make contact with anycomponents on the main PCB(trust me on this one since Igot to repeat the process whenthe smoke test failed and Ifound one of the tabs shortingout against a transistors metalcase).

If you are replacing the SO239then remove the mounting screwsand nuts from the chassis anddiscard the old connector.Place the new SO239 intoposition and secure with thescrews and nuts from the oldconnector. Be sure and replacethe ground lugs (which attach tothe main PCB) from the sameposition they were removed from.Reposition the main PCB anddisplay PCB. Be careful to

Summer 199918

ensure the operating LED is inproper alignment. I didn'tdiscover this until too late inthe process. I apparently bentthe LED downward whenreinstalling the PCBs but I'mnot going to tear it apart againjust for the LED (hi). Nowsecure the main PCB with thethree screws removed earlier.Reinstall the four screws aroundthe 'Frequency Counter' display.Place the plastic grommet backinto position on the 'Frequency'switch. Solder the ground lugsand center conductor of theSO239 to the main PCB. Placethe 'Gate' and 'Input' switchesback into position and reinstallthe BNC connector and solder theconnecting wire. Reconnect thewire harness. Place the knobsfor the 'Tune' and 'Frequency'switch in position and securewith an Allen wrench. Reconnectthe battery clips or connectexternal power.

Before applying power visuallyrecheck everything (especiallythe meter tabs) to ensurenothing is shorted. Now connecta 50 ohm dummy load to the SO239connector. Apply power. The'SWR' meter should be flat butthe 'Resistance' meter readingis unpredictable. On the backof the main PCB there are threeholes in a straight horizontalline. R31 may be accessed

Photo 2: Relative position ofR31.

through the middle hole. R31controls the 'Resistance' meter.Carefully insert a smallscrewdriver or nonconductivetuning tool and turn R31 untilthe 'Resistance' meter indicates50 ohms.

Install the back/side cover intoplace with the eight screwspreviously removed. Smile yourdone!

The MFJ-259 SWR Analyzer is auseful test instrument and Ihave been very satisfied withmine. Like all things electronicor mechanical, a little TLC isrequired every now and then.Now mine is back in workingorder and functioning perfectly.

72, John NU0Vburnley-ia@worldnet.att.net

********************************

Operating EventsBy Mark Milburn KQ0I

Here are some QRP operatingevents that will be coming up.Turn your power down and joinin...they are fun events and thepeople you meet will be some ofthe best hams on the air.

ARS 1999 FLIGHT OF THEBUMBLEBEESJuly 25, 1999

This is a four hour event duringthe last Sunday of July, runningfrom 10:00 PDT/11:00 MDT/12:00CDT/1:00 EDT to 2:00 PDT/3:00MDT/4:00 CDT/5:00 EDT. Thus, thehours of operation accommodateall four time zones. No matterwhere you live, there is time tofor the Bumblebees to travel totheir sites, set up theirstations, operate the contest,and travel back to their cars.

Both home-based and portableoperations are encouraged.

Summer 199919

Participants who want to operatein the Bumblebee category applyto Adventure Radio Society forBumblebee status. ARS assignseach Bumblebee a Bee number.Bumblebees agree to walk, bikeor boat to their sites. Thedistance traveled to the site isat the Bumblebee's discretion.Bumblebees add "/BB" to theircalls.

Group operation is welcome inthe Flight of the Bumblebees.You may operate under a singlecall and report a single score,or under multiple calls andreport multiple scores. In anyevent, you are limited tooperating a single transmitterat a time.

Maximum power is five watts. Weoperate CW on 40, 20, 15 and 10meters, on the standard QRPfrequencies. We want this to bea national contest, so weencourage long-range contacts bygiving double points for 20, 15and 10 meters. 40 meter contactswill receive one point. The samestation can be worked ondifferent bands for additionalQSO points and multipliers.

If you are a Bumblebee, yourexchange is RST,state/province/country, and yourBumblebee number. If you arehomebased, your exchange is RST,state/province/country, and yourpower.

Contacts with Bumblebeesgenerate a 3X multiplier. Soyour score equals QSO pointstimes (number of Bumblebeestimes three). Here is anexample. If you make 20 contactson 40 meters and 30 contacts onthe higher bands, and make atotal of 25 Bumblebee contacts,your score is (20+60) X (25 X3), or 6,000.

Separate but equal commendationsare awarded to the high scores

for the homebased and Bumblebeeparticipants. Starting thisyear, we will also commendBumblebees in the following newcategories:- Most interesting equipment,- Most outrageous venture, and- Most beautiful site.

Participants are stronglyencouraged to use our automatedcontest reporting system, whichis found in the ARS Sojourner.Participants may submit paperlogs, with a two week deadline.Results are posted during thethird week of August in The ARSSojourner, the QRP-L InternetGroup, and by direct email toARS members.

If you choose to use a paperlog, please include at least thefollowing:

- Your full name and callsign;- Your status (Bumblebee, orhomebased).- Date of the event;- Total number of completed QSOswith Bumblebees, and- Total number of completed QSOswith all other stations.

You may also want to add soapboxinformation, such as theequipment used, your operatinglocation, interesting contacts,successes and challenges.

You are encouraged to submitstories and photographs of yourBumblebee adventure forpublication in The ARSSojourner. See Advice forContributors,http://www.natworld.com/ars/pages/pageone_material/advice.html.

Russ Carpenter, AA7QU, is theContest Manager. Mail paper logsto him at 47227 GoodpastureRoad, Vida, OR 97488. You canreach Russ in the followingways:

Summer 199920

- By mail, at the foregoingaddress- By phone, at (541) 896-026- By fax, at (541) 896-031- By email, at russ@natworld.com

Georgia QSO Party

1800Z July 31 - 0359Z August 11400Z Aug 1 - 2359Z Aug 1Two periods, all stations maywork the full 20 hours. Phoneand CW, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10meters

Entry classes: Single Op, Multi-single, Multi-multi rover,novice/tech, all of the above inthree power levels, QRP, LowPower (less than 150 watts), andHigh (over 150 watts)

Rover requires operation from atleast GA counties. Mobiles andportables must move completestation including antennas atleast 100 yards to changecounties...no county lineoperation.

Work stations once per band andper mode. Multiplier count oneach mode. Exchange RST and GAcounty, SPC, or DX. Count 1point per phone contact, 2points per CW contact.

Multipliers are GA counties;for GA stations 50 US states, 11VE provinces.

Awards.

Send logs by Aug 31 to NealSulmeyer, K4EA, 530 Doss Dr.,Canton, GA 30114-8057, emailk4ea@contesting.com webhttp://www.contesting.com/secc/

Summer Daze SSB SprintAugust 1, 1999

2000Z-2400Z, SSB HF Only..workstations once per band, operateall four hours.

Categories: All-band, Single-band, High bands, Low Bands,Multi-OP, and DX.

Exchange: Signal report, SPCand ARCI Number (non-memberssend power).Suggested frequencies: 1830,3865, 7285, 14285, 21385, 28385

QSO Points: members = 5 pts,non-members same continent = 2pts, non-members differentcontinent = 4 pts.

Multipliers: SPC total for allbands, SPCs count once per band.Power: >5w = x 1; 1-5w=x 7;250 mw- 1 w = x 10; < 250 mw = x15

Final Score = QSO points x totalSPCs x Power Multiplier

Entries must include copy of logand summary sheet, callsign(s)of operator(s), power out, andstation description.

Send entries within 30 days ofcontest date to Joe GervaisAB7TT (Attn: Summer DazeSprint), PO Box 322, Peoria, AZ85380-0322, or download the QRPARCI contest entry form for thewebsite, edit it to include yourinformation, and paste it to anemail (ASCII text) to:vole@primenet.com

Adventure Radio Society SpartanSprintAugust 2, 1999September 6, 1999October 4, 1999November 1, 1999December 6, 1999

The Spartan Sprint will be heldas usual on this first Monday ofthe month). We will be operatingon three bands--80, 40, and 20.There are winners in twocategories: points (the TubbyDivision), and points per pound(the Skinny Division).

Summer 199921

1. Start at 9:00 PM EST, 8:00CST, 7:00 MST and 6:00 PST.Finish at 11:00 PM EST, 10:00CST, 9:00 MST and 8:00 PST.

2. The frequencies will be 3560kHz+-, 7040 kHz+- and 14060KHz+-. (You may operate one, twoor three bands--your choice.)

3. Exchange RST, SPC (state,province or country) and poweroutput.

4. If you choose to call CQ, usethe format "CQ SP," or "CQ SPTEST."

5. You can take credit forworking the same station on asecond band.

After the contest, you may usean autolog, which is partof the ARS Sojourner. Just go towww.natworld.com/ars and followthe link for "Direct access toautologs". Or you can speedthings up by going directly tothe Spartan Sprint autolog pageatwww.natworld.com/ars/ss_log.html.

If you don't have access to theweb, send Russ Carpenter, AA7QU,an e-mail with your total QSOsand the total weight of yourstation (i.e. the combinedweight of all transmitters,receivers, keys, keyers andbatteries used during theSprint). You may also includeyour comments from the soapbox.Russ' email address isruss@natworld.com.

Results for each Spartan Sprintare published on the Thursdayfollowing the Sprint. This maybe the world's quickest contestreporting! Please send your logas soon as possible, but in noevent later than Wednesdayafternoon.

The Spartan Sprint is based on asimple but stimulating concept.The ARS is encouraging all ofyou to cobble together the kindof station you'd use in aportable environment —lightweight transceiver, keyer,key, and battery. Then put thatturkey on the air, andparticipate in a two hoursprint.

All operators are invited toplay, whether or not they aremembers of Adventure RadioSociety. Even if you don't havelightweight equipment, yourparticipation will be rewarding,both for you and the otherparticipants. We'll report thescore in two differentFormats/absolute scores, andpoints per pound of stationweight. So you can get yourkicks from running up amagnificent score, or achievingan remarkable ratio of pointsper pound.

If you're thinking aboutbecoming a member of AdventureRadio Society, just send RichardFisher (membership chairman) ane-mail expressing your interest.Richard's e-mail address isnu6SN@aol.com. Membership isfree, and the organization has agreat group of men and women whocombine their love of ham radiowith their affection for theoutdoors. You don't need to be amacho person; ARS welcomespeople of all ages and levels ofability.

Russ Carpenter, AA7QU, ContestManager russ@natworld.com

The Michigan Challenge -Saturday, August 21, 1999 from1600 UTC to 2000 UTC

This 4 hour CW sprint is meantto promote an event combiningAmateur Radio with a visit toyour local or state park. It issponsored by Chapter 3 of

Summer 199922

the Michigan QRP Club. The"challenge" is simple. Visit alocal or state park, set up yourstation and work as may otherstations as possible. Whileoperating try to locate and workthe designated "FOXES" operatingfrom Michigan for added bonuspoints. You may enter thecontest as an individual, groupor club. There may be only onestation per contestant entry.The station may be operated byany number of operators. Aunique and attractivecertificate will be awarded forthe winning entries. SuggestedContest CQ Call - " CQ CQ MCTST"

Exchange - RST, SPC, Poweroutput (designated Foxes willalso send "Fox") Examples ofexchanges - 579 MI 5W FOX, 599OH 900MW, 469 Ont 100W

Operating frequencies in kHz(+/-) 7040, 14060, 21060 and28060 (WARC not allowed)

Scoring - (QSO Points x SPCmultiplier x Pwr multiplier xQTH multiplier) + Fox bonuspoints

QSO Points (Based on the poweroutput reported by stations youworked during the contest)- 1 ptfor each QRO station worked (>5w) 3 pts for each QRP stationworked (1 to 5w) 5 pts for eachQRPp station worked (<1w)

SPC multiplier - Total number ofStates / Provinces/ Countriesworked

Pwr multiplier - Your highestpower output used during thecontest: 1 for QRO(>5w), 3 forQRP (1 to 5w) and 5 for QRPp(<1w)

QTH multiplier - 2 for operationfrom a state or local park, 1.5for other afield ops, and 1 forhomebased operation.

Fox bonus points - 1,000 foreach QSO with a designated FOXstation

Scoring example:

Station operates from a localpark using a 4 watt output andworks 2 designated Foxes.

Station has the following QSOs:18 QRO stations worked = 1825 QRP stations worked = 756 QRPp stations worked = 30Total QSO points = 132

Total SPCs worked 32

Station score: QSO Pts = 123SPC Multipiler = 32Pwr Multipler = 3Qth Multiplier = 2(123*32*3*2) = 23,616Plus Fox bonus pts = 2,000MC Contest Score = 25,616

Contest logs are to be submittedby no later than September 21,1999 to:

Pete Meier WK8S4181 RuralWaterford, MI 48329

Log must contain the followinginformation: Callsign usedduring the contest and contestoperators operating location;highest output power used duringthe contest; QSO details - time,callsign, exchange details(state, output power); yourmailing address. Please alsoinclude details regardingequipment and antenna used, aswell as any other interestingevent or occurrence whichhappened during the contestwhich others may be interest inreading about.

Michigan Labor Day CW SprintSept 6 2300Z to Sept 7 0300Z

All MI-QRP Club contests/sprintsare run under the rules below.

Summer 199923

All contests/sprints will be runon 160 thru 6 Meters (no WARCbands). All amateurs areinvited to participate.

CLASSES:*A - 250 milliwatts or lessoutput.*B - One watt to 250 milliwattsoutput.*C - Five watts to one wattoutput.*D - Over five watts output.EXCHANGE: RST, QTHState/Province/Country) and MI-QRP Membership Number (non-members send power-output).

SCORING:Stations may be worked once perband for QSO points. All membercontacts are 5 points. Nonmember contacts in W & VE are 2points. Non member DX contactsoutside W & VE are 4 points.

Multiply total QSO Points, onall bands, by the total numberof States/Provinces/Countriesworked on all bands for totalpoints. U.S. & Canada do notcount as countries.

BONUS POINTS:Total points may be multipliedby 1.25 for home brew RX or TXw/commercial RX or TXcombinations w/commercial RX orTX combinations. Multiply by1.5 for a total homebrewstation. Home brew = any kit orhome made gear, it is notnecessary for you to have builtit yourself. Those usinghomebrew gear on some, but notall bands, may claim credit bylisting the proper bonus pointsin each band's "BPts" column onthe score sheet, adding themup and dividing by the number ofbands used. Enter the average(round to 2 decimal places) inthe "Totals" row, under the"BPts" column.

AWARDS: Certificates awarded byclass for high score in each

State/Province/Country.

A legible, chronological log isrequired. Please include yourname,call, address, equipmentdescription and Power output .Results will be printedin the next issue of The FiveWatter. Final decision on anycontest matters rest with thecontest manager. E-mail logsare encouraged. E-Mail Logsto:n8cqa@tir.com

Mail logs to:L. T. SWITZER N8CQA654 GEORGIA AVENUEMARYSVILLE MI 48040-1243

Log and entry sheets availablefor an SASE to the above.

Enjoy....

72, de Mark KQ0Ikq0i@juno.com

********************************

Des Moines Hamfest RecapBy John Burnley NU0V

The Iowa QRP Club had a displaytable at the Des Moines hamfeston April 24, 1999. I knew rightoff that the day would be a goodone.

As I was setting up the table Inoticed that my neighbor acrossthe aisle was Paul Washa. Paulas you may remember helped uswith the group buys on the 1999handbook as well as othertitles. He was very thankful toall who participated in theearlier group buy and will beworking with me on some futureones (stay tuned).

I had vendor info from MFJ andTenTec but very little from anyof the other QRP vendors. Ifound a few bits and pieces inmy display box and I put it allout. It didn't take long beforeit was all gone. I was only

Summer 199924

able to stay for 2 1/2 hoursbecause of a family commitmentbut that was all that wasneeded.

The hamfest had a very goodcrowd and the QRP display wasalways busy. My 'next door'neighbor was the ARRL displaymanned by some of the localsalong with some ARRL brass. I'msure they couldn't help butnotice the constant traffic. Ondisplay was an MFJ 9017, NorCal38 Special, Knightsmite, PixieII, Emtech ZM-1 with AZ ScorpionSWR LED indicator kit installed,power supply break-out box, anda prototype project that some ofthe club members areindependently developing.Information on MFJ 90'sNewsletter, NorCal, G-QRP, andARCI was also available. Ifyour club wasn't listed then youdidn't get back to me with anyinformation (but it's not toolate for the next hamfest sosend me your info!). There wereplenty of questions and a lot ofenthusiasm!

I hope to see you at our nextevent in Sioux City, IA on June4 and 5, 1999.

72, John NU0Vburnley-ia@worldnet.att.net

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Copyright Notice

The Iowa QRP Journal ispublished four times per year(Spring, Summer, Fall, andWinter). Copyright of materialsappearing in the Iowa QRPJournal remains with theauthor(s). Articles ormaterials may NOT be reprintedwithout permission of theauthor(s). Iowa QRP Journalrequests that reprints of thematerials or articlesacknowledge previous publicationin the Iowa QRP Journal. The

articles contained within thisnewsletter have not been testedand no guarantees of success areexpressed or implied. If youbuild any projects from the IowaQRP Journal, you should maintainsafe practices at all times andknow that you assume all risks.

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The Iowa QRP Club was formed topromote amateur radio low poweroperations, to hone operatingskills, improve building skills,and introduce the hobby toperspective new amateurs.

Membership is limited to currentIowans, former Iowans, thosewith strong Iowa ties, borderstates (border counties), and insome cases by invitation. Tojoin, email a request to:

IowaQRPClub@juno.com

or surface mail to:

John Burnley NU0V8204 Sutton DriveUrbandale, IA 50322

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Iowa QRP JournalInterim Editor:John Burnley NU0VOfficers:President:John Burnley NU0VVice President:Larry Stambaugh WB0RMTSecretary:Jerry Huldeen WB0TTreasurer:Mark Milburn KQ0IClub Station:KQ0RP